Sunshine In Winter An Eragon One Shot
by buckwolvhoosier
Summary: This is a one shot I made for the winter season. I hope you like it and have a very Happy Holiday season!


_This story takes place in _Eldest_ when Eragon is in Ellesmera. It will be in the winter season, so there will be cold, snowy, and icy. This one-shot has no connection to any of my current stories, it is just a short story based on a dream I had. I really hope that you like it! Happy Holidays to everyone reading this!_

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Eragon stood in the grand throne room awkwardly as Queen Islanzadi embraced her daughter, Arya. He could not believe that this whole time he had been with the Princess of the Elves. The idea seemed so inconceivable, and yet it somehow made sense. His mind was in a complete jumble that even Saphira was confused about his emotions.

The queen took a step back from Arya and smiled. "I am not the only one who has missed you, Arya; we have all missed your presence here." The Queen gestured at the court that was gathered around them. Among the crowd was a young girl with light brown hair that went past her shoulders and halfway down her back and blue eyes, fair skin, and a slender and wonderfully sculpted body. Eragon swore that he had not seen here there before and as he looked at her he realized what it was that made her stand out from the others: she was human!

The girl quickly ran over to Arya, squealing in delight, and then jumped up to give her a hug. "I missed you so much 'Rya. You have to tell me everything later, 'kay!"

The hug was longer than the embrace shared between mother and daughter not surprising anyone except the rider and his dragon. _Saphira, who do you think she is? _

_Obviously someone very dear to Arya._

_Aye, but I mean her background; she is no elf._

_Patience, Little One, I am sure all will be explained shortly._

_You know me, I hate waiting._

When the hug ended, Arya smiled and said, "My dear sister, you haven't changed one bit. Still causing trouble, aren't we?"

"Why "Rya, I have no idea what you are even talking about." There was a silence for a moment, then the girl drew close to Arya and whispered, "It really was an accident this time, I swear. Blagden just got in the way at the wrong time." Although she had meant it for only Arya to hear, Eragon still caught what she had said, causing him to be as curious as ever.

"Solana! What did you do?" Arya asked, suddenly concerned.

"Shh! You'll see soon enough." Arya's jaw dropped for a second before she quickly forced herself to her former disposition. Then, they laughed heartily. "Oh, Solana, it's wonderful to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were still a child, and now you are suddenly a young woman."

"And you, 'Rya, are still very…" She stopped when Arya narrowed her gaze. "…older sisterly like…" Arya rolled her eyes, hugged Solana again, and motioned for her mother to address the court once more.

"Again, we are delighted about Arya's return. Now, we turn our attention to other matters, I owe Eragon another introduction as well as an explanation." Islandazi looked at Solana and then at Eragon. "Eragon, I want you to meet Solana, the Princess of Alagaesia."

Eragon's eyes grew big, his jaw dropped, and his head spun around faster than ever. He became lightheaded and if it weren't for Saphira giving him the strength to stay standing, he would have fainted. _Princess of Alagaesia…did I hear her right?_

_Yes…Ah! Eragon, I think you should bow, she is royalty._ Eragon shook his head to recollect himself, took a deep breath, and bowed.

"It's an honor to meet you." He said for Saphira and himself.

Solana curtsied when he was standing again and said, "No, the honor is all mine, Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales. I have waited for this moment the second I learned of your existence."

Her words rendered him speechless. _Saphira, what should I do, or say? _

_Just hold on, it looks like Queen Islanzadi is about to speak again._

"Please, everyone clear the room, I must speak to Eragon and Saphira in private. You may stay Arya and Solana." The people of the court bowed and left the room as commanded. When they were finally alone the Queen began, "I know that this is a complete shock for you, more so than the announcement that Arya is my daughter. Speak your thoughts Eragon and Saphira, I am interested to hear them."

"Thank you, but I really do not know where to begin. There are so many questions running through my head at the moment and I am unsure which one I want answered first."

The Queen smiled and Solana stifled a giggle. At the sound, Eragon gazed upon her.

_We have traveled across Alagaesia, and never once have I seen so fair a maiden among your race, Eragon. I sense your emotions, Little One, but remember beauty isn't everything._

_I know, Saphira, it's just that I cannot grasp the fact that she is the daughter of our sworn enemy. Who knew that such a rose could blossom from pure evil._

_It really is remarkable, now pay attention, the Queen is talking to you!_

It took a lot to tear his eyes away from Solana to look at the Queen. "Then allow me tell you how she came to be here in Ellesmera. Solana's mother was my sister, Ianthina. My sister was one who believed that there was good in everyone and everything, including the tyrant King Galbatoix. Despite my warnings and demands for her to stay in Ellesmera, she still left to meet him and I never saw her again." Islanzadi paused as she composed herself. Speaking of her beloved sister was hard for her to endure, a feeling Eragon could easily relate too. Before long, she continued, "No one truly know what happened between them. Some say they really were in love, and some say that he tricked her into believing that he had loved her. Either way, she conceived his child and as soon as she learned she was pregnant, she fled to the Varden where she gave birth. Ajihad had sheltered Ianthina and had those who knew about her pregnancy swore an oath to remain silent. Ianthina died a few months after Solana was born and the child was brought here to live. The name she had chosen for her daughter means sunlight and she is our ray of sunshine when all hope seems lost. She has her mother's kindness, curiosity, and cleverness as well as her father's talent for causing trouble." The Queen turned her attention to Solana who just shrugged.

"I remember when you talked about your cousin, Roran, and how you regarded him as your brother, well, that is how I view my cousin Solana. I have missed so much of her childhood, but the times that we have been together are memories that I will always treasure." Seeing Arya so tender made him almost cry.

"Her story is very fascinating and I now fully understand why you have kept her identity a secret." His shock had dissipated as profound understanding overtook him.

"I was hoping you would. While you are here, I am sure that you will become friends. From the day we have learned of your existence, we have been anxious to have the two of you meet; I am sure even you can agree that an alliance between the two of you would be beneficial to our cause."

"Aye, it would be." Eragon paused to process what he had learned, then said, "Does Nasuada know about…" Since Solana was in the room with them, he was unsure how to finish his question. He was relieved when the Queen spoke.

"Unfortunately, she does not. She was very young when Solana was born and with Ajihad's untimely death, she was never able to gain the knowledge of her existence. Arya has informed me that all of the people who knew of her are now deceased."

"What about the King? Is he aware that he has a daughter?"

"To the best of our knowledge, yes, we are positive he knows that he has a child, whether he knows that she is female and that she is still alive is uncertain. It seems that he is not overly concerned about discovering her whereabouts as his focus has been the downfall of the Varden."

"Perhaps, with the world the way it is, nothing is really certain, is it?"

"Aye. Anyways, if you have no further questions, I think we had better get you and Saphira settled in." Eragon bowed and stated his gratitude for allowing him to stay in her glorious city. Afterward, a multicolored bird flew into the room and landed on Islanzadi's staff. From the look of his figure, Eragon concluded that it looked like a raven, but the rainbow colors on its feathers suggested otherwise. At the sight, the Queen let loose a horrified gasp. "Blagden? What on earth happened to you?" The bird cawed, Islanzadi glanced at Solana, and Arya burst out laughing.

All Eragon could do was stand there in awe at the ridiculous scene. "It was an accident! Honest! I was going to create a fairth and he flew in right when the magic was released at the color splashed all over his feathers! I tried to get it off of him, but he wouldn't stand still long enough for me to change him back."

The Queen scowled and Solana continued, "Oh come on, you have to admit he looks totally awesome!"

"Did you just say awesome? Look at him! He is a rainbow! A rainbow!"

"Mother please, calm down." Arya chanted a phrase and the magic released changed him to be pure white. "There, happy now?"

"I give up!" She threw her hands in the air in submission. "Go now and give me some peace." It was then she realized that Eragon was still standing there. Embarrassed, she said, "I am sorry you had to witness that; I assure you that scenes like that are not very common around here."

Eragon knew she was lying, but said nothing about it as he simply bowed. A man entered and led him to his chamber which was a vast tree house with an area for Saphira to reside as well. "I hope you find your accommodations to your liking. If there is anything that you find unsatisfactory, please let me know and it will be corrected immediately." He bowed and left Eragon alone in the tree.

* * *

"You have grown so much since I last saw you!" Arya exclaimed once more.

"Will you ever stop saying that?" It has been a few hours since the incident in the throne room and the two girls were lying on Arya's bed taking the night away. Solana made Arya describe in detail her adventures right up to the moment where they were reunited. "Now that I know everything about your journey, I am sure you are wondering what I have been up too?"

"You needn't tell me what you have been doing, I already know what you do. It's the same thing you have been doing since birth: causing trouble."

"Haha! Very funny 'Rya." 'Rya has been the way Solana has addressed Arya. When she was little, she always left off the "A" and as time passed, the name just stuck. Arya did not mind her addressing her that way; she found it rather cute and that really made her feel like an older sister.

In unison, they laughed like little children. "Alright, fine. What have you been up to?" Now it was her turn to talk continuously for nearly two hours. Many descriptions were centered around spells that have gone wrong, much like what happened with Blagden, making Arya shake her head.

When she had finished her tale, Arya started another conversation. "I am curious, what is your impression of the Rider Eragon?"

At the mention of him, Solana suppressed a blush. "He is very young…"

"As are you…"

"Arya!"

"Oh come on! I know you find him attractive." She stated, slyly.

"I guess he is rather good looking…"

"So you admit he is…well…cute?"

Solana suddenly had an idea that would turn the conversation. "You speak as if you are hiding your feelings towards him."

"What?" Arya asked, defensively.

"You and Eragon have been able to spend some alone time together, and as you mentioned you think he is handsome, and you are a stunningly beautiful woman."

"Solana…I don't…"

"Sure you don't…"

"Seriously, he is nothing more than a friend."

"That's what they all say at first."

"Alright, be reasonable."

"Only if you are reasonable with me."

Arya nodded and then they began a discussion about magic.

* * *

Eragon sat down on the bed. "This room is wonderful. I have seen nothing that can outdo the craftsmanship."

_Of course not, it is made by the elves._

Eragon smiled and fell back on the bed. "Today has been full of surprises." Saphira chuckled.

"What is it?"

_You know very well what it is that I am amused about._

"Again, Saphira? Why can't you let it rest?"

_Come now, don't be sour about it. How often do I get to see you fancy a woman? _

Eragon flushed bright red. "Hey, you said look are not everything…"

_Aye, I did, but from what we witnessed in the throne room, you find her exotic, amusing, charming, and easy-going. Also, she looked your age, an added bonus._

"Alright, Saphira, I see your point. Now can we please just let it rest?"

_For now._

Eragon sighed and rolled his eyes. "Right. We should rest; tomorrow will be another long day."

* * *

Eragon and Saphira met Oromis and Glaedr and his training began. For weeks Eragon underwent a rigorous schedule. The few times he had some freedom to explore, he spent his time with Arya, Solana, or another person from Ellesmera. The air steadily grew colder and then one day the clouds finally released their first flakes of snow for the season. Mother Nature produced a massive storm that covered the ancient city in powdery white snow. The following morning, Eragon was surprised by the amount of snow that had received in one night. "It looks like at least three feet!" His excitement bubbled over when he read a note that stated his lessons were canceled. "Can this be true? Oromis is giving us the day off?"

_Don't dwell on his decision, just enjoy the day._

Eragon smiled and got dressed in the warm clothing laid out for him. "Well, what do we want to do today?"

_Let's just head on outside and figure that out later. _She flew off her perch and soared through the frosty air. Eragon headed to the door and when he opened it, he was pleasantly surprised to see Solana standing there.

She gasped as the door suddenly flew open. "Oh! Hey, there."

"Solana, hi." Eragon felt his heart beat fast.

"Well, this is awkward. Umm, I was just here to ask if you maybe wanted to go ice skating with me. The pond is completely frozen and I heard that Oromis gave you the day off, so I figured I'd invite you."

Eragon's smile broadened. "Yes, of course. I would love to join you."

"Really? Great! I wasn't sure if you had other plans."

"Not at all. In fact I was just asking Saphira what we should do today."

Solana laughed. "Oh the irony."

"Yeah." Eragon finally stepped outside and closed the door. "Though I should add that I have never gone ice skating before."

Solana gave him a shocked stare. "Seriously?"

"Ummm, yeah" Eragon stood there shyly.

"Well then, I shall have to teach you. Come on!" Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and led him to the pond where many elves were already on the ice having a great time. Saphira was already there as well and he watched as she slowly walked out into the ice, slid, and fell down. The elves looked concerned, but Eragon laughed at the scene. Solana looked at him with wonder and when he felt her gaze upon him, he stopped laughing and looked at her. It was then that he remembered that she was still holding his hand.

Eragon had forgotten that his hand was still locked in hers and it wasn't until she quickly let go that he noticed they were still together. Awkwardly, she said, "You will be needing your hand back."

Eragon wanted to let her know that it was fine, but before he could speak, Arya snuck up from behind, startling them. "'Rya! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Arya was carrying three pairs of ice skates in her arms. "Don't be such a drama queen, Solana. Besides that was payback for all the times that you crept up on me."

"Right. If I were you, I'd watch your back today."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"Ok then, it's war!"

"Bring it on. We shall see who will come out on top by the end of the day."

"Take your skates" Arya handed them their skates and before she left she addressed Solana again, "You had better watch _your_ back today, sis." Then she trotted off and disappeared among the other elves.

Solana shrugged and turned her attention back to Eragon who looked baffled. "It's just this thing we do, don't fret about it. So, let's just get your skates and then get you out on the ice." They walked over to a bench where she taught him how to put on the skates. "Make sure that it is tied very tight. We don't want them to become loose while you are skating." When his skates were on she then gave him some helpful pointers. "Okay, are you ready to give it a try?"

Eragon could only shake his head up and down. "Good. Now just follow my lead." She walked to where the ice met the path and stepped out gracefully. As soon as his skate met the ice, he lost his balance and fell into a snow bank. Solana was uncertain if she should laugh or not, so she just skated next to the snow and looked down at him. "Are you okay?"

He looked stunned for a moment and then shook his head sending snow flying. Solana put up her hands to block some from hitting her face. He then looked up and said, "Yeah, I'm fine." Solana laughed then and let out her hand for him to grab. He took a hold of it and as she tried to help him up, she slipped herself and toppled on top of him, their heads colliding. There was a brief moment where she was disoriented until reality hit her.

Eragon became dazed as he felt his head bump into something and pressure pressed against his entire body. He opened his eyes and came face to face with Solana. She was just trying to piece everything together as well and when she figured it out, their eyes met and her face became scarlet. Eragon's heart thudded wildly at her reaction. Solana rolled off of and plopped in the snow next to him. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and allowed the cold air to relieve her burning cheeks.

Feeling calm, she sat up. Following suit, Eragon sat up as well. To add to their torment, Arya skated by saying, "You two look like you are having fun." With a wink, she left them. Solana groaned and fell back in the snow, mortified.

Eragon felt better knowing that Solana shared his embarrassment. _What have I been telling you, Eragon? She likes you…a lot. _

_Oh, shut it!_ He gathered his courage and made his was back onto the ice. This time, he didn't fall. He peered over Solana and lowered his hand like she did for him. She looked at his hand and then at his face. "Let's try this again." A small smile formed on her lips as she took his hand. When she was finally standing once again, she took a step away from him to begin their first circle around the pond. Paying little attention, she slipped and began to fall, but Eragon grabbed her, her face slamming into his chest, catching her balance. "Are you alright?"

Yet again she found herself embarrassed as she stared up at him. Eragon slowly released his grip on her. "I'm fine. Watch yourself, it's slippery there."

"I noticed." He smiled.

"Right. Shall we?" She gestured at the other skaters.

Eragon nodded. When they made their first lap around the ice, they expressed their exclamations. "I thought we would never get to this point." Solana joked.

Eragon laughed, "Same here. Ready for lap two?"

Solana looked at him confidently. "Let's do it!"

They skated around a plethora of times before their feet began to ache. They put away their skates and sat back down on the bench. "That was really fun. Thank you for inviting me."

Solana fiddled with her dress, nervous. "It was nothing really. I am sure you would have noticed us skating and want to join in."

"True, but I meant skating with you. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

Solana's heart skipped a beat. "Of course."

"Now what?" Eragon asked.

Solana though for a moment, then said. "Stay here. I will be right back!" Then she ran off. While she was absent, a few elves came up to him to chat, including Arya. "Where did Solana go?" She asked.

"I have no idea. Always, how has your day been so far?" He tried to suppress how awkward he felt.

"Pleasant. I noticed that you have been having a joyous time with Solana. Must be nice having one of your race, and your age, around." She smiled deviously.

Eragon shuffled his feet and asked, "Exactly how old is she?" Eragon became curious to know more about her.

"Only a year younger than you. Well, I better go. Good day." And off she went.

_Wow, Solana is only 16? _A snowball pounded him in the back making him lose his train of thought. He whipped around. Another snowball hit him, this time in his face. As he wiped off the snow, he heard Solana rambling out her apologies. He opened his eyes to observe his opponent and then bent down to grab some snow.

Solana saw him grab the snow. When he had formed the heap into a ball she quickly said, "I didn't know you had turned around until it was too late…"

"Solana," he cut her off, "run." He threw the ball. She ran. The ball hit her arm, but she continued running. Eragon started to chase her after he had thrown the snowball. As she ran, she grabbed some snow, turned around, and threw it at Eragon. He put up his hands to block it from hitting his face. _She has great aim!_

She ran behind a tree for shelter, a snowball whizzing past her. She gathered up another ball, and peeked out, but Eragon was nowhere in sight. A snowball hit her in the back of the head. She turned to see Eragon. "Gotcha!"

She threw her snowball and it hit him in the chest. "Right back at ya!"

They began to laugh. When she caught her breath, she happened to see Arya walking in the distance. "Eragon follow me, but remain silent." She began to creep among the trees, Eragon following her, quietly. He had a very good idea what she was about to do. Arya had stopped to look at a red bird perched on a tree branch. Solana got down on her knees and crawled behind a snow bank. Eragon sat down next to her and watched as she gathered a ball of snow. With the ball in hand, she peered over, took aim, and released the missile hitting Arya square in the back of her head. On impact Arya gasped, and turned around seeing nothing. Behind the snow bank, Solana struggled to keep from laughing.

Arya narrowed her eyes, and chanted something in the Ancient Language. The snow bank they were hiding behind was next to a tree with heavy snow on its branches. Arya finished her spell and the snow on the tree fell on top of Solana and Eragon. They shook off the snow, and stood up, but Arya was gone. Solana looked at Eragon. "Run!" She grabbed Eragon's hand and ran as fast as she could in the deep snow. Behind them, Arya threw snowballs at them, a few hitting their backs. After a couple of minutes, she slowed down and stopped panting. They thought Arya had stopped pelting them with snowballs, but when hit Eragon on the shoulder, they took off running again.

Eragon's tree house came into view. "Come on!" Solana opened the door, pushed Eragon inside, and barely got herself through the door before a snowball hit her. With a slam the door closed. Solana's panting emancipated from her lips. Soon her breathing became normal and she looked around the room and saw Eragon start a fire in the fireplace. "Yay! Warmth!" She smiled and headed over to warm her hands next to Eragon.

"I never knew Arya had such a good throwing arm."

Solana laughed. "I know right! You know once when I was little, we built a snowman, and after, we went inside to make...That's it!" She jumped up startling Eragon.

"What?"

"Stay here." She turned to leave, but stopped when Eragon grabbed her hand. She whirled around to face him, and when she did, Eragon let go of her hand.

"Sorry…I…well…er…umm…" He had no words to say to her; he just kept uttering gibberish nervously.

Solana's heart went out to him. "Don't worry, this time I will not throw a snowball at you. If you permit me, I want to make you something."

Eragon shut up and cocked his head.

"It won't take long, I promise." She looked around and saw a book lying on a table and picked it up. "Here, look at this until I get back." She left him standing there with the book in his hand as she headed into the kitchen. She took the pitcher sitting on the counter and uttered something. Instantly, the water boiled. She grabbed two mugs from the cabinet along with a box of sweetened cocoa, two peppermint sticks, marshmallows, and a long spoon. She filled each mug with the chocolate, poured the hot water and topped it with the marshmallows. With the peppermint sticks, she stirred the contents. Satisfied, she took the mugs and returned to Eragon, who was sitting on the couch, reading.

"I wasn't being serious when I handed you the book, you know." She chuckled.

"I know, but I do find this book to be quite interesting."

"Really, then do tell me what it is about." She sat down next to him and placed the mugs of hot chocolate on the table in front of the couch.

Eragon set down the book and said, "Bugs." He looked at Solana who tried to look interested, but ended up laughing hysterically.

When she caught her breath she said, "And you find bugs interesting?"

"Very." He laughed, shook his head, and said, "Not at all. The book was boring, thank you for coming in here and saving me. Oromis is constantly giving me books to read, and to be frank, not all are fun to read." He pointed at the book on the table.

"Here," Solana grabbed a mug, "drink this."

Eragon looked at the mug, then at her, and then back at the mug again. He started to recite a spell used to detect poison. When he did, he saw Solana narrow her eyes and cross her arms. "I am just testing it out! I know it's not poisoned…I was just practicing…"

"Eragon, it's okay! I was only kidding. I wasn't offended at all."

"Oh." The silence that followed felt long for both of them. Eragon took a sip. The sweet, hot, liquid slid down his throat leaving his taste buds craving for more. "Solana, this is the best hot chocolate I have ever had."

Her eyes lit up and her cheeks flushed at his compliment. "Honest?" she asked, self conscious.

At that moment Eragon could not bear it any longer; he set the mug down, and after leaned in and pressed his lips against Solana' moment their lips touched filled them with ecstasy. Their blood coursed through their veins, their hearts pounded, and their head spun, dizzy with happiness.

Eragon pulled away after a few seconds, scared that he had offended her. He braced for her to slap him for being so forward, but she didn't. He looked at her and saw a tear run down her cheek.

"Solana, I'm so stupid. I should never have kissed…" He never got to finish as Solana pressed her lips against his.

After she parted she said, "I was crying because I realized that I am in love with you, and that revelation made me happy." Another tear rolled down her cheek like a glistening diamond.

Eragon wiped away the tear, kissed her, and whispered in her ear, "I can't believe I fell in love with the sun." Solana giggled.

"What about Saphira? Is she ok with this?" Eragon closed his eyes and contacted Saphira.

_Well, it's about time! _ Eragon rolled his eyes and focused his attention on Solana.

"This is the perfect ending to a perfect day." She smiled. Eragon wrapped her in his arms as their lips met succumbing them into complete bliss.


End file.
